New Zealand has become the 13th country in the world, and the first in the Asia-Pacific region, to legalize same-sex marriage.

Hundreds gathered to celebrate outside Parliament, where the gay marriage bill passed with a vote of 77 to 44 on Wednesday. Leaders of most political parties had urged lawmakers to vote with their consciences, rather than along party lines.

“Excluding one group from marriage is oppressive and unacceptable,” said the bill’s sponsor Labour MP Louisa Wall. “Nothing could make me more proud to be a New Zealander than passing this bill.”

The first same-sex couples will be able to wed in August. Meanwhile, the new law will also mean that married transgender people will not have to divorce when they realign their gender on official records.

New Zealand is the second country in as many weeks to legalize gay marriage after Uruguay passed a sweeping bill last week that President Jose Mujica is expected to sign. The gay marriage league of nations also consists of the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina and Denmark.

The kiwi nation decriminalized homosexuality in 1985 and has had civil unions for same-sex couples since 2005. Reflecting on the 28 years he has been with his partner, Green Party MP Kevin Hague noted that their relationship was illegal when they first met, but said he is happy to see gay relationships officially sanctioned in his lifetime.

You mean it’s not just a 2party charade monopoly like the US where the government sucks but people keep voting for them over and over expecting different results.

Good for them.

Apr 17, 2013 at 8:46 am · @Reply ·

DOFEK

VIVA Kiwi! you just did what the all world should do. Lets see how long it will take the fucking USA to do the same?. AdamHomo

Apr 17, 2013 at 9:33 am · @Reply ·

B Damion

Yes! this is such good news.I hear it’s also a very gentle country all around..or maybe thats just coming from the amazing mood I am in from the mind blowing sex I had lastnight. Yes…Yes..Thank you. I love being a gay man.

Apr 17, 2013 at 10:08 am · @Reply ·

stadacona

Just got back from a 3 week holiday in New Zealand. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Everyone should go at least once. On the other hand, it’s grossly over-priced. Everything is a rip-off in New Zealand. I can imagine the wedding planners there salivating.

Same-sex marriage disregards the natural order of procreatory responsibility, not only confusing the natural disposition of parental authority; but undermining the legal principle that children have a right to a relationship with their biological parents, depriving a child access to their biological parent’s genetic, cultural and social heritage, not for extraordinary circumstances, but as a matter of routine. Same-sex marriage amounts to nothing more than institutionalized adultery through a hostile takeover of civil society by the State. Children will no longer be entitled to their biological parents, as the transitory wants of same-sex adults will have taken precedence over a child’s best interest.

Same-sex marriage proponents demand “Marriage Equality”, yet, in return, they offer less-than-equal protection of the child’s happiness than can be afforded through the presence of both biological parents.

Same-sex proponents profess that it is love which gives the right to join the institution of marriage, yet, in doing so, they selfishly violate the principle loving objective of this noble institution; to protect a child’s Natural Right to be raised by both biological parents.

Same-sex marriage is not justice in the eyes of a child. Same-sex marriage is an abuse of power, a tyrannical subversion of the fundamental principles of marriage and the duties which it enjoins; contrary to the nature and state of man, same-sex marriage is merely the unwarranted whims of an ignorant and selfish generation whose conduct is nothing less that an embarrassment to the dignity of mankind.

In fine, same-sex marriage is an unnatural extravagance which the supporters most ignorantly claim to be a “right”.

“No one has a right to do that which, if everybody did it, would destroy society.” —Immanuel Kant

Apr 17, 2013 at 10:18 pm · @Reply ·

2eo

Awww man. Please can we keep him, that was hilarious to read.

Apr 18, 2013 at 3:30 am · @Reply ·

Billysees

” Kia ora ” to all you beautiful Kiwis.

Keep up the good work.

Apr 18, 2013 at 4:36 am · @Reply ·

RickinTheCity

@Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui: This is so typical of our adversaries. Always willing to toss a few out of context lines from famous philosophers that they have no proof to back up. During all of the same-sex marriage trials (and there have been many) when lawyers attempted to prove any damage to “traditional” marriage or society not one shred of evidence could be offered that stood up in a court of law. Whether the topic was children of same-sex couples or the supposed peril to “traditional” marriage.

There is NO evidence to back up your claims Mr.Burlamaqui. None! In fact, the early evidence points to children of lesbian couples as faring better than children of most straight couples. And it is a common sense fact that a child raised in a home with love does much better than a child left in a group home or with foster parents that are being paid by the state to care for the child.

So I believe you owe an apology to Kant. I’m sure he’s “spinning in his grave” having his immense intelligence used in such a tawdry way. By the way, most of you straight people do get married. And about half of you wind up in divorce. So you’re really not the best to be giving advice about marriage; seeing how badly you people have screwed it up!

Apr 18, 2013 at 10:10 am · @Reply ·

johnconroy5

Republic Of Ireland are going ahead with a referendum on gay marriage and polls suggest it will be overwhelmingly voted in by the public, so looks like Ireland may be the 14th country to legalise gay marriage :-)